Op-Ed: 2019 Oscar predictions — 'Best Actor in a Leading Role'

Five limitless actors are vying for the 2019 Academy Award for "Best Actor." Four of this year's nominees (Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Rami Malek, and Viggo Mortensen) portrayed real-life people.

Christian Bale played former Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice, Willem Dafoe played acclaimed painter Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate (in the final stages of his life), Rami Malek took on the role of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Viggo Mortensen played Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who was the driver and bodyguard for classical pianist Don Shirley, in Green Book, and Bradley Cooper played fictional character Jackson Maine in A Star is Born opposite Lady Gaga.

Analysis: The "Best Actor" race is one of the most competitive categories at the upcoming Academy Award ceremony. Anybody who wins would be very deserving since all five performances are stellar.

Willem Dafoe, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper have been nominated for an acting Oscar four times, where Bale won in 2011 for his acting work in The Fighter. It looks like Bale would have to settle with Golden Globe win for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" for Vice. The same holds true for Bradley Cooper, where the nomination in this prestigious category is his reward.

Viggo Mortensen has been nominated for an Oscar three times, but it won't be his year. Green Book will most likely receive love in the "Best Supporting Actor" category, where his on-screen partner, Mahershala Ali, who played African American pianist Don Shirley, will take home his second Academy Award.

Willem Dafoe was spell-binding as Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate, and in any other year, the award would have been his, however this year, Rami Malek has the Oscar in the bag. Scoring his first career Academy Award nomination, Malek is unstoppable thanks to his transformative performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek deserves a huge round of applause for a job well done. Congratulations Rami Malek.

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